APEC blue

Why is APEC blue so very blue?

APEC蓝 (APEC lán): APEC blue

The color of the skies over Beijing during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2014. In an effort to cut air pollution by 40%, the city has given students and workers a bonus “Golden Week” holiday, halted factory and construction work, enacted alternate driving days for even and odd license plates, and even put a temporary stop to barbeques and cremations. Smog has indeed cleared up, but by how much remains murky: air quality data from the US embassy, followed by residents on the China Air Quality Index app, has been censored.

“APEC blue,” then, describes a hue reserved for foreign dignitaries, and a measure of air quality that excludes some of the truth.

Examples:

翁涛02: A few days ago during the imperial capital marathon, the entire city was covered in a poisonous haze. But right now, they’ve manufactured APEC blue. (November 7, 2014)

前几天帝都马拉松，毒霾蔽城。这几天却制造出APEC蓝。 [Chinese]

财经女记者部落: #APECblue tells us: It’s not that the government can’t do it, it’s that you aren’t important! (November 6, 2014)

#APEC蓝# 告诉我们：不是政府做不到，是你们不重要！ [Chinese]

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